Perspectives: Rochelle Bloom, The Fragrance Foundation
Rochelle BloomThe foundation’s president talks about bottle design, the health of the fragrance industry, and the need for brand building.
By Jennifer Kwok, EditorIn January 2003, Rochelle Bloom became president of The Fragrance Foundation. Since then, she has brought a new energy to the 59-year-old trade organization. “When I first took on this job, I saw it as a challenge,” says Bloom. “I think the Foundation had reached a plateau and needed help leaping forward.”
Bloom’s approach to guiding the fragrance industry is that of a marketer, thanks to her prior experience as a beauty executive. Before taking the reins at The Fragrance Foundation, Bloom worked for The Estée Lauder Companies for 27 years, rising through the ranks to senior vice president and general manager of Estée Lauder International and president of Bobbi Brown.
Thanks to Bloom’s leadership, the FiFi Awards show has been revamped. The increasing involvement of celebrities helps to raise its profile. And although Bloom says that there is a lot of progress to be made, more consumers are also becoming aware of the FiFis.
With so many flanker fragrances (seasonal fragrances sold in the same basic fragrance bottle), are fragrance bottle designs becoming stale?
I don’t think so, not anymore. I don’t think that we see quite as many of these flankers as we used to. There was a time, in the last few years, during which bottle designs were very clean and neat, not glamorous and exciting. But I think that there is an interest now for more distinctiveness and more luxury. That goes against the tide of today’s economy, because private molds are very expensive. But I think that there are ways of getting around that. I think that some of the niche companies are doing extraordinary things. Have you seen John Galliano’s new DNA fragrance bottle, for instance?
I also think that you can use stock bottles and make them look as private as you can, and they can be distinctive and interesting. So I think that the pendulum is swinging, and luxury is coming back a little. That’s good news.
Luxury packaging also presents a dichotomy as sustainability in packaging becomes more and more important. Sustainability can be dealt with in many ways, and packaging can still be quite gorgeous. For instance, you can deal with it with your outer packaging, making it recyclable. But I think that, as an industry, we can’t ignore sustainability.
Very few eco-friendly fragrance bottles come to mind. Donna Karan’s Gold bottle does because its glass and metal parts can be separated and recycled.
One way that fragrance brands can make their packaging greener is to make it refillable. Thierry Mugler is one brand that has promoted this notion for years. Pictured is the brand’s refill fountains, which customers can use to refill their bottles with fragrance at the brand’s stores.
Absolutely. It’s the only fragrance bottle that I know of that can be taken apart. There might be others. I just don’t know of any. But sustainability can be accomplished in different ways. Thierry Mugler has a refill program that allows customers to bring their bottles back to the store to be refilled with fragrance. If a bottle can be reused, to me that’s as good as a bottle that can be taken apart. Everyone approaches sustainability in a different way.
Bond No. 9 and By Kilian are two other fragrance brands that design bottles with the notion that you can keep refillable bottles forever.
Yes, they make bottles collectibles. That’s a great way for the fragrance industry to participate in the green movement. The notion of collectability also has a bit of glamour.
Going back to what you said about stock bottles, is it really possible to create a custom-looking package using stock components?
I know many people who use stock bottles today. I think that the whole idea of stock bottles is so sophisticated. And there are so many options. I mean, you can pair a stock bottle with a private-mold cap, and you can make it look wonderful. There are lots of different ways. This is an industry filled with wonderfully talented people. I put my money on the designers every time to be completely innovative.
What are the biggest challenges facing fragrance brands right now?
I think that they’re the same challenges that we had before—too many fragrances, not enough brand building.
How can packaging help with brand building?
Well, I don’t think that packaging can help. I think brand building can only be helped by making some changes in the way that the industry—and this includes the retailer, manufacturer, and supplier—presents the fragrance category, in a less commodity-focused way. A lot of industry folk don’t concentrate on all of the good things about the category and continue to say, “Oh my god, we have too many fragrances. Oh my god, the retailer isn’t cooperating.” Yet they don’t do a lot to turn the industry back into what it used to be. They continue to launch 800 fragrances a year. We have to find new and interesting ways to attract the consumer, and not just with a gift with purchase.
Any specific suggestions on how they can do that?
I think that they should make the area in which fragrances are sold much more interesting and exciting. I’m not going to be specific as to whether this means department stores or niche stores. But I think that, in general, the ambiance has to become more interesting. I’m going to use L’Artisan Parfumeur as an example. Their retail stores are wonderful. When you walk by on the street and you look in, it’s appealing. You want to go in, you want to try the products. A hectic environment is a turnoff.
Do you think that brands should stop launching so many products so quickly? Maybe limit it to once a year, to make a fragrance feel really special?
I think they should launch one fragrance every two or three years. It used to be that you’d launch one fragrance every five years. I understand that in this market, that might be a little too long, but I think that very few companies go longer than a year before bringing something new out. I think that creates confusion. It’s overwhelming. They make you as a consumer feel that what you bought last year is no good anymore. That’s what I mean by brand building. I think that you have to spend more time, as brands used to, nurturing and building a brand. That way, what you do launch will have more life to it, and I think that the industry would be healthier overall.
How healthy is the fragrance industry right now?
It’s flat, maybe up or down a few percentage points, depending. There’s a reason why niche brands are growing. Niche brands are growing because they don’t spend a lot of money advertising and promoting. They spend more time developing their fragrances and, as a result, their fragrances are more distinctive and unique. I think that this is an indication of consumers telling manufacturers what they want. I think that you have to go back to not feeling like you know it all. Listening to the consumer—really listening—will help the industry.
Do you expect the market to improve?
Absolutely. It’s a fantastic industry with extremely talented and creative people. I think that eventually they will figure it out. I hope that they don’t take too long to do so, but yes, I do think that things will improve. I’m very optimistic and hopeful, absolutely.
How are the FiFi Awards and The Fragrance Foundation helping companies to promote themselves?
Our goal is to get the consumer involved with the FiFi Awards. Ultimately, we want the consumer to know who wins the awards each year, and to go into a store and ask to smell the winning fragrances. That would make me feel like I’ve accomplished my job. Unfortunately, the manufacturers and retailers don’t really do anything special to publicize the awards. There are a few that do, but not many. It could be done in the simplest way, for instance, by putting a little sign on a counter that says, “2008 FiFi winner for best women’s fragrance.” But nothing’s done, and in some cases, sadly, a brand’s own salespeople might not know that a fragrance has won an award. So I can’t make them drink, but I can walk them to the water. We do everything that we can to make the event interesting and exciting, and we do a lot of social networking to get the word out. But the manufacturers and the retailers really have to get involved.
Do you have any favorite fragrances?
I never divulge that information. I have many favorite fragrances. Really! I have many! I go through moods during which I like certain fragrances, as we all do. I love them all!